Vestibule-car diaphragm.



N0. 830,559. PATENTED SEPT. 11, 1906.

L. G. .BASSFORD. VESTIBULE OAR DIAPHRAGM.

APPLIGATION FILED DEb. 30, 1905.

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PATEN TED SEPT. 11., 1906.

L. G. BASSFORD. VESTIBULE' OAR- DIAPHRAGM.

APPLIOATION FILEDDEG. 30, 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 11,.1906.

Application filed December 30, 1905. Serial No. 294,018.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOWELL C. BASSFORD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in vestibule-CarDiaphragms, of which the following is a specification.

As ordinarily constructed, vestibule-car diaphragms are made of separatesections of heavy fabric forming the sides and top of the diaphra m,respectively, and having separately-iormed corner-sections insertedthereinto, the whole being stitched together and reinforced by means ofleather strips at the folds. This method of forming the diaphragm iscumbersome and expensive and necessitates the addition of thereinforcingstrips after the body of the diaphragm has been formed, whichis a difiicult method of attaching the reinforcing-strips and preventsthem from being secured to the fabric in a flat condition.

The object of the present invention is to so form the bellows foldscomposing the dia phragm that the entire diaphragm, with the exceptionof the reinforcingstrips, can be formed from a single piece of fabricwithout seams or inserted corners, which results in greater strength anddurability and is a very much cheaper method of forming the dia phragmthan the method ordinarily employed.

The present invention also enables the reinforcing-strips to be appliedto the fabric in its fiat condition and to be bent or folded with thebody of the diaphragm into the proper shape, which method of forming thediaphragm as a whole results in a very much better diaphragm and onewhich is very much more economically, eas1l y, and quickly manufacturedthan the present diaphra ms ordinarily used. At the same time the canger of leakage, rotting, and rippin at tne seams is obviated, so thatthe life 311C usefulness of the diaphragm will be correspondinglyincreased.

The invention consists in the features of construction and combinationof parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the connected ends oftwo vestibulecars, showing the diaphragm of the present invention; Fig.2, an outside edge elevation of the diaphragm; Fig. 3, a sectionalelevation taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4, a plan view, partlybroken away, of a piece of fabric in flat condition, showing in fulllines the folds to be made for forming the ridges of the completeddiaphragm and in dotted lines the folds to be made to form the valleys.

As is universally the case the diaphragms 1 are secured to the abuttingends of vestibule-cars 2 and consist of the body portion 3, having sidewalls 4 and a top wall or roof 5 bridging the space between the sidewalls and extending at right angles thereto. In my invention the sidewalls and top or roof are all formed integrally of a sin le piece ofheavy fabric of the character or inar1ly employed in makin vestibule-cardiaphragms, and the sides ant top are provided with bellowsfolds. Thebellows folds of the sides are formed to have outwardly-extending ridges6 and intermediate valleys 7 of suitable number to provide for thenecessary expansion and contraction, and the ridges and valleys onopposite sides of a diaphragm are in alinement with one another. Thecross-wall or roof is likewise provided with ridges 8 and valleys 9,which ridges and valleys are in sta gered relation with respect to theridges an valleys in the sidewalls of the diaphragm. In other words, thecompanion ridges of the opposite side walls are connected by the valleysof the cross-wall, and vice versa. This arrangement gives the archedformation and enables the entire diaphragm to be formed from a singlepiece of fabric folded in this manner. When folded in this manner, theouter corner-folds 10 of the diaphragm will of necessity assume thebeveled or sloping contour shown in Fig. 3, which preserves more fullythe arched formation of the diaphragm as a whole.

The diaphragm is secured at its opposite ends to inner and outer arches11 and 12 of the usual character, the former of which are secured to thecar-body in the usual manner. The diaphragm-body formed as abovespecified is reinforced by means of outer side strips 13, which bridgethe angles of the outer ridges,

and inner side strips 14, which bridge the an gles of the inner ridges,the inner stri s being in alternate relation with respect to the outerstrips. The top wall is likewise rein forced by means of outerreinforcing-strips 15 and inner reinforcing-strips 15*, which aresecured to the top wall at the angles formed by the ridges. In each casethe strip bi idges over a ridge, leaving the corresponding valleyswithout additional reinforcement. In like manner the corners 10 arereinforced by means of short corner-strips 16, which connect the top andside reinforcing-strips and form, as it were, a continuous reinforcementthroughout the entire diaphragm. This method ofreinforcing enables thestrips to be stitched or riveted to the fabric before the folds orcreases are made and while the fabric is lying flat in the form of astrip or sheet, which enables the reinforcing-strips to be more easily,firmly, andiperfectly secured than is ordinarily the case where thestrips are applied after the bellows folds are formed.

. The diaphragmformed as above specified preserves in a general way thearch formation ordinarily given to diaphragms, and the diaphragm-of thepresent invention can be ordinarily used in all places in which the oldstyle diaphragms areused, no. rearrangement or remodeling of thevestibule being necessary in order to adapt it for use with thediaphragm of the resent invention. The diaphragm is not only more simpleof construction, but is neater, more perfect, and better adapted for thepurpose intended than diaphragms of ordinaryconstruction.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1; Agdi'aphragm for vestibule-cars having side walls and a topcross-wall all being provided with bellows folds, the ridges on theopposite sides connecting with the valleys across theitop and the sidevalleys connecting, with the, top ridges, and arch-frames to which theends of, the diaphragm are secured, substantially as descr bed.

2.: A'diaphragm for vestibule-cars-consisting of side walls and a topall formed from a continuous piece of fabric, the side walls and topbeing provided with bellows folds formed ing of side Walls and a top allformed from a .4

cont nuous piece of fabric, the side walls and top being provided withbellows folds formed in the continuous fabric, the sides having ridgesand valleys in alinementwith the valleys and ridges respectively acrossthe top, arch-frames to which the ends of the dia: phragm are secured,and reinforcing-strips secured along the angles of the ridges of thesides and top, substantially as described.

4. A diaphragm for vestibule-cars consisting of side Walls and a top allformed integrally from a continuous strip of fabric, the companion sidewalls being provided with bellows folds having oppositely-disposedridges and valleys and the top being formed with bellows folds havingridges and valleys in staggered relation with respect to the ridges andvalleys of the sides, forming diagonally-extending corner-folds,reinforcing-strips along the angles of the ridges and along thediagonally-extending corner-folds, and archframes to Whicn the ends ofthe diaphragm v are secured, substantially as described.

LOWELL O. BASSFORD. Witnesses:

SAMUEL W. BANNING, WALKER BANNING.

